As promised in our divisional free agent previews, here are Sean’s Bold Predictions. As rumors emerge from the first real day of the GM meetings, word has come that Marlon Bryd is to become a member of the Philadelphia Phillies for something along the lines of 2 years/$16 million. Before any of the other big names sign up for bigger paydays, it’s time for me to put my money where my mouth is. I’ve cracked a craft beer and opened a few too many tabs atop my favorite browser, and am prepared to make some Bold Predictions. It should be noted that each prediction happens in a vacuum–e.g. it is fair game to posit scenarios in which the Mets sign both Kelly Johnson and Robinson Cano; or Ubaldo Jimenez signs with two organizations. That said, here we go:
1) Robinson Cano signs with the Yankees for slightly less than 50% of the net worth of the Brewers organization. If you were wondering, Forbes values the Brewers at $562 Million.
2) Ubaldo Jimenez signs with the White Sox for over $68 MM.
3) Jhonny Peralta makes the Royals into a contender.
4) The Padres sign Carlos Ruiz and I write over 500 words on how this evens the Padres and Dodgers.
5) Chris Young has over a 3 WAR while playing in red socks next year. He also invests in a new house in northern Kentucky.
6) Jacoby Elsbury goes to Texas.
7) Shin-Soo Choo makes his way to Boston.
8) Brian McCann plays in pinstripes in 2014. The compensatory pick that the Braves get starts in the majors in 2015.
9) Masahiro Tanaka’s posting fee is over $70 Million. He spends over 8 weeks on the disabled list.
10) AJ Pierzynski goes to Boston.
11) After trading David Price to the Dodgers, the Rays sign Michael Morse for a one year deal worth $9 Million.
12) The Tigers get Chris Perez to close, but he winds up with fewer than 12 saves.
13) A gorilla pitches for the Dodgers before Brian Wilson does.
14) Josh Johnson dominates for the Pirates next year.
15) Johann Santana is the next Francisco Liriano/Scott Kazmir for the Cleveland Indians. The Indians also win the AL Central.
16) Tim Hudson enjoys flirting with other teams before signing to play with the Orioles.
17) The Braves bring in Matt Garza.
18) Kelly Johnson signs with the Mariners.
19) The Mets sign Ricky Nolasco to a 5 year deal.
20) The Cubs bring in Dan Haren and Nelson Cruz on two year deals, in an attempt to build their value before a trade.
21) Carlos Beltran signs with the Texas Rangers.
22) The Rangers win the 2014 World Series.
When I go 22/22, I expect that the blog will finally blow up and that I get to meet Katie Curic. If I go 21/22, I’ll settle for an interview with Barbara Walters. The truth is that I have no idea where any individual player will end up and anybody claiming they know for sure is lying. There are far too many variables, too much money in the couch cushions and too many players with relatively similar values.
-Sean Morash
Stat of the Day: Massachusetts was ranked as the most energy efficient state in the union.
